Rainbows

Dr. Maya Angelou meets with officers of LSU’s Student Activities Board, the group responsible for bringing her to LSU, prior to her talk in February 2013. Pictured at far right in purple is then Trending Topics Committee Chair Melanie McKoin who planned the event.

In this life, we come across a few once-in-a-lifetime kinds of moments. One of those moments for me and other LSU students was meeting the phenomenal Dr. Maya Angelou. In spring of 2013, Student Activities Board and Campus Life had the pleasure of hosting “A Night with Maya Angelou.” As the student leader who helped bring this program to fruition, I cannot truly express the life changing moments that transpired that night. Her words of wisdom, moments of comedic relief, and stories provoked an array of emotions. I had never experienced a night where the crowd laughed, awed, wept, and learned all at the same time. That was the most amazing aspect of Dr. Angelou. Her presence had an impact. Everyone in the crowd from freshmen students to state senators wanted to hear what she had to say. They wanted to learn about her experiences and gain just an ounce of her knowledge.

Personally, I admired Dr. Maya Angelou’s candid speech. She was not afraid to speak her mind or share her opinion. Her life experiences had altered her perception of life, and I enjoyed hearing about every moment. I believe that night a young generation of millennials were able to vicariously live through her moments and stories. Through her we were able to see life a little bit differently and realize the individual impacts we all have on this earth. In the end, Dr. Angelou’s message was simple. She taught us to “be the rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”